I hope you guys don’t get sick of all my soup recipes, because I pretty much live off of soup this time of year! This Smoky Black Bean Soup is definitely going to be one of my new fav’s because it’s so fast, super thick and hearty, and leaves the door open for tons of fun toppings. Kind of like tacos, in soup form! I think you’re going to love this smoky, rich, just-happens-to-be-vegan soup!
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Load it Up with Toppings!
I’ve only provided the price breakdown for the soup itself below because there are just so many options for fun toppings. Not only is adding toppings to soup like this fun, but it’s a great way to use up leftovers in your refrigerator. Here are some toppings that I’ve added to my Smoky Black Bean Soup this week:
- Cornbread
- Cheddar
- Sour Cream
- Green Onion
- Jalapeño
- Avocado
- Pickled red onions
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Pico de gallo
Smoky Black Bean Soup is a Great Flexitarian Dinner
If you have a family with different dietary needs, this easy soup is a great place to start. This black bean soup in its base form is vegan and gluten-free, but you can add several things to accommodate other dietary preferences. You can add shredded rotisserie chicken or quickly sautéed shrimp to feed those who want a little meat, stir in a dollop of sour cream or cheddar cheese for those who like dairy, or add any of the toppings listed above.
Want more flexitarian dishes? Check out my round up of 30+ Flexible Recipes for Vegetarians and Omnivores.
Is This Soup Spicy?
This soup can be as spicy or as mild as you like. The spicy ingredients in this soup are the jalapeño and chipotle powder. If you prefer a mild soup, skip the jalapeño and use smoked paprika in place of chipotle powder. Or you can do any combination of those ingredients to adjust the heat to your liking. :)
Can you Freeze Smoky Black Bean Soup?
Yes! While this is a fairly small batch recipe, you absolutely can freeze the leftovers. As with freezing all other food, I suggest dividing the soup into single servings just after cooking, then refrigerating until completely cooled before transferring to the freezer for long term storage. The soup can be kept in the the freezer for about three months.
To reheat, either use the defrost function on your microwave, transfer to the refrigerator the day before you plan to reheat, or reheat straight from the freezer in a sauce pot, with a lid, over low heat, stirring often.
30-Minute Smoky Black Bean Soup
Servings 4 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 jalapeño (optional) ($0.15)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 3 15oz. cans black beans ($2.07)
- 1 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder* ($0.05)
- salt to taste ($0.02)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeño, then dice the remaining jalapeño flesh. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and olive oil to a soup pot and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
- While the onion, garlic, and jalapeño are sautèing, use a blender to purée two of the three cans of black beans (with liquid from the can). If the beans are too thick to purée, add just enough water to make them blend.
- Add all three cans of black beans to the soup pot (one can of whole beans with liquid, two puréed), along with the can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juices), the cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot and allow the soup to come up to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. After simmering for 15 minutes, taste and add salt to taste (I added 1/2 tsp). Serve hot with your choice of toppings.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Smoky Black Bean Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Remove the stem and seeds from a jalapeño, then finely dice the pepper. Add the diced onion, jalapeño, minced garlic, and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a soup pot. Sauté over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onion, garlic, and jalapeño are sautéing, purée two 15 oz. cans of black beans (with liquid) in a blender. If the beans are too thick to blend, add a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup). Leave the third can of black beans whole.
Add one 15 oz. can of whole black beans (undrained) and the two cans of puréed black beans to the soup pot.
Add one 15 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes (with juices) to the soup pot.
Finally, add 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, and ½ tsp of either smoked paprika or chipotle powder to the soup. Stir to combine.
Place a lid on the soup pot and let it come up to a simmer. Simmer the soup, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.
After simmering for 15 minutes, taste the soup and add salt as needed (I added ½ tsp). Serve hot with your choice of toppings!
Yummmmm!
Very good and filling. Pleased 2 teenagers. Made it with 3 slices bacon chopped fine and browned with onions. next time might up the smoked paprika
So for personal reasons I need more fiber in my diet (black beans have a lot of fiber) so I chose this recipe. My mom and I were ready for an average meal to get the job done but I couldn’t put the spoon down!! So good. The fire roasted tomatoes are such a nice little treat when you come across them. I am sick and lazy so I got jiffy cornbread and added honey and cheddar cheese and frozen corn. HIT THE SPOT
this is really one of my favorite recipes from this site! so easy and yet delicious (especially with a few adaptations). i like cooking the onions a little longer, upping the garlic by a lot, and going heavy on the spices with this – a touch of chili powder, a dash of fish sauce, lots of cumin, and i puree 1.5 cans of beans and leave the other half whole. so so good with cornbread! any topping is great on this but it’s also pretty fantastic on its own. next time i might try starting by crisping some bacon, sautéing the onions in bacon fat and topping the soup with the crispy bacon bites.
I had a can of black beans in my cabinet for almost 2 months. I used it for this recipe, and it was spectacular and spicy. I substituted jalapenos for habaneros (just a quarter of a large pepper), added in carrots and celery (for my veggie fix), and used a little stock to add extra flavour to the soup. Finally, I mixed in a tablespoon of nutritional yeast (which had a BBQ flavour with a dash of smoke), and I topped it with some cream and parsley. It was absolutely delicious, but I had to slow down as my eyes were watering from the spice and how good it tasted.
Are the macros correct? I feel like they are too low.
Love this! So good. I only had a small can of tomatoes so I added about 1/2 c veggie broth to thin it out
I made this soup tonight as one of the options on the vegetarian meal plan version 2. It was surprisingly delicious! I added about a tsp of jarred chipotles in adobo with the garlic and spices, otherwise I followed the recipe as written. We used sliced fresh jalapenos and green onions for garnish. Super good, I am so looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!
This looks amazing…and if you make a big batch and freeze…make less spicy…and when you need it take it out and you can add in so many fixings to spice it up..or use hickory liquid smoke to make it smoky…and all the different toppings…avacado,sour cream, different cheeses, crumbled bacon on top, or ham added …you can take this so many ways…keep a box of jiffy corn bread or a loaf of nice grainy bread and wow meal in a jiffy…I like things that you can freeze…and then thaw for a second meal and use it completely different…Try roasting l inch pieces of sweet potatoes or squash and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and drizzle with oil and roast, or flavored with chipolte or smoked paprika and add in…or serve over rice…I do not like my bean soup too pureed…so probably puree one can and just mash the other two with a potato masher some what…this is a great recipe…for meatless Mondays…but can add in meat…ham,bacon or sausage..Kielibasa would be great…cut in slices and sautéed with the onion..garlic mix…Budget Bites is one of my favorite sites!!!
This is an absolutely delicious and very quick soup. I didn’t have a jalapeño, but instead of Chipotle powder I used a couple teaspoons of diced Chipotles in adobo, and that gave it a really nice spice and smoky flavor. The fire roasted tomatoes really do the trick. I really don’t like pulling out the blender but it does make the soup so creamy and rich, it’s worth it. Altogether this came together in about half an hour and the ingredients are all very cheap. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Mine tasted AMAZING but didn’t come out as thick as yours😭 I followed the instructions and everything. Do you know why this may have been?
Hmm, I can’t think of why it wouldn’t be thick if you puréed the beans. I’m stumped! Did you add some sort of other liquid?
Delicious and appetizing! I tried this recipe with even more of my favorite toppings and it still tasted great, especially when paired with bread.
Made exactly as written, because I had all the ingredients on hand! I added some splashes of Cholula hot sauce at the end instead of extra salt to taste – it adds a bit of vinegar and salty spice. I found the canned beans had enough salt for my taste. Excellent and easy. Topped with green onion, chihuahua cheese, and a dollop of sour cream and served with fresh baked pita chips. Thanks for the easy recipe! Will freeze the left overs for chilly days ahead.
This is the best black bean soup I have ever had! Made it for the first time last night and had two full bowls. I’m already planning on making it on a regular basis! Couldn’t find S&W beans but made it with two cans of other organic beans and a can of seasoned black beans. I didn’t have a fresh jalapeno but used pickled jalapenos which I added with the beans.
Really good and filling meal when accompanied with a bread. It has good flavor!
So nice to eat on a rainy evening! Highly recommend using the S&W organic black beans because they are the best canned beans out there!! I added avocado, Tapatío hot sauce, and made cheese toast to dip in the soup! Yummy!!
This was so easy to make after a long day of work! It was really flavorful and went great with cornbread! Thanks for a great vegan recipe!